Iconic Aerosmith Album Photo Was Taken In West Orange: Historian

WEST ORANGE, NJ — At one point or another, Aerosmith’s 1975 chart-topping album, “Toys In The Attic,” has made its way into millions of U.S. homes. But unknown to many fans of the seminal rock and roll band, there’s a hidden connection between the famous album and an otherwise unassuming attic in New Jersey.

According to Joseph Fagan, the town historian in West Orange, a local home served as the backdrop for the now-iconic album's back cover (see below).

Fagan, the town historian in West Orange, offered Patch some details about his recent discovery. He explained:

“Robert Belott was a professional photographer who lived in West Orange. His wife, Nina, once worked as a teacher at the former Edison Jr. High School, also in town. As a student in 1978, my sister, Patty, was asked to babysit for the couple’s three-year-old son at their West Orange home. Belott would routinely pick Patty up to drive her to their house. It was often discussed while baby-sitting that there was some connection between Belott as a photographer and the rock band Aerosmith.”

Fagan continued:

“I didn’t learn about this from Patty until just recently but wanted to find out more. She told me about a big, beautiful, old mansion somewhere in town where she went to on several occasions. Time had eroded her memory with any precise details about where the house was located. Despite uncertainty she remembered that the band Aerosmith was definitely mentioned. Patty also showed me an original piece of album cover artwork gifted to her by Belott 43 years ago. She thought it might be connected to the band. Subsequent research revealed it was created by Belott for another recording artist named Danny Toan. I quickly became intrigued and began investigating to see how Belott may have been connected to Aerosmith, as Patty believed was true.”

That’s when the deep dive began, Fagan said:

“I found out Belott grew up in West Orange and graduated West Orange High School in 1962. He became a professional photographer who operated out of New York City. He unfortunately passed away in 2014, but fortunately left behind a well-respected body of work. A connection to Aerosmith apparently did exist because a photo credited to Belott is listed on the back cover of Aerosmith’s ‘Toys in the Attic’ album released in 1975.”

“There were still more questions than answers regarding Belott’s exact connection to the group,” Fagan told Patch. “I wanted to find more details and confirm if a West Orange home maybe was used to photograph the band.”

Fagan pointed out that bassist Tom Hamilton discusses the “Toys in the Attic” photo in a YouTube video.

Fagan said he tried to get in touch with Hamilton, with no success. But he was able to speak with Ernie Cefalu, who designed the front cover of the album with his agency, Pacific Eye and Ear.

According to Fagan, Cefalu – who also created album covers for the Doors, Alice Cooper, the Bee Gees, the Guess Who, Black Sabbath and Jefferson Airplane – said he had not arranged for the photograph used on the back of the album for Toys in the Attic. Nor did he know any details about the location where the photo was taken … only that it was sent to him by Belott.

Here’s what happened next, Fagan said:

“Further research subsequently led me to discover the story of Robert DeMarco. He confirmed for me in a phone interview that he played a small role. He had direct involvement in Rock and Roll history but didn’t realize it at the time. DeMarco often assisted Belott during photo shoots in his New York studio. In 1975 they received a call to work with the then little-known rock group Aerosmith. The band’s promoters were looking for a photo for their upcoming album that hopefully could launch them to stardom. They wanted a setting staged with props to replicate an old attic. That is when DeMarco thought of his Uncle Joe’s house in West Orange. The home’s attic had six rooms with exposed rafters that was far better than a studio setting. Aerosmith’s manager agreed to go on location. DeMarco and Belott drove to meet the band in an old beat-up Opel with rotted floorboards. They hooked up in midtown Manhattan and two stretch limos followed them to the West Orange location. Upon arrival, they made their way to the attic that was scattered with vintage toys, where the band members posed for the picture.”

“I found the location of the West Orange home and informed the current owners of their house’s hidden connection to rock and roll history,” Fagan said, adding that they agreed to grant him access to their attic for a photo, but the location “remains confidential for security reasons.”

The local historian doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a huge fan of the band.

“Aerosmith is considered the best-selling American hard rock band of all time,” he declared. “More than 150 million records were sold worldwide - Belott’s picture on the back of the album cover for ‘Toys in the Attic’ became iconic. The album was regarded as a breakthrough that launched their successful career.”

“It gives West Orange a unique distinction and an overlooked footnote forever etched in rock and roll history,” Fagan emphasized.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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